Ed wrote: “Shortly after I took the phone for a dip (in not very deep water), the display went kaput — at least for several hours. It lit up just long enough to indicate that I had power, but I couldn't actually keep the display on and use it.

“Roughly a day later, the screen came alive again, but the phone was still exhibiting finicky behavior, presumably because of water damage. The touch-screen was messed up and the device acted as if headphones were plugged in when they weren't. If this were my actual phone, I'd return to the store for a replacement.”

There are a lot of ports where water can get in. I didn't read about S4 - it's a meh phone, but I researched Xperia Z. You have to make sure that all ports are properly closed - USB, headphones, HDMI. There is also speakerphone that you cannot really do anything about and might get water trapped inside.

There are a lot of ports where water can get in. I didn't read about S4 - it's a meh phone, but I researched Xperia Z. You have to make sure that all ports are properly closed - USB, headphones, HDMI. There is also speakerphone that you cannot really do anything about and might get water trapped inside.

Yes, the drop-proof and water-proofness of the Z are the two things I've no intention of "trying out" other than accidentally. The worst thing about the Z's ports (at least on mine) is that the charger port (yes, that's the one that I use daily) - if you don't close it just so, it pops slightly ajar again. The speaker is open to the elements, and does suffer following submersion, but by all accounts starts to function properly again after a couple of hours.